Labor Day 2018 dawned hot, sultry and still on Deal Island — no breeze was stirring at the marina while captains, crew, passengers, spectators and vendors scurried about preparing for the 59th annual Skipjack Race and celebration.

The 59th annual race turned out to be a repeat of the 2017 version, quickly dominated by the smaller, clearly swifter Ida May.

Owned and restored by Gordon Gladden of Salisbury and his brother Elbert Gladden, Ida May's captain was, for the second year, Shawn Ridgely. It was Ida May's third overall win since her restoration. Ida May had no wins on the books prior to the restoration.

At the blessing of the fleet, in preparation for the big race, the Rev. Henry Zollinhofer said the day's gathering was "God's work in this place ... to celebrate greatness of a lifetime."

Many of the boats are still working skipjacks during oyster season in the fall. Kathryn is the only working skipjack offering offseason educational and sunset pleasure cruises when she's not in full oystering mode, said crew member Carrie Samis.

Harold "Stoney" Whitelock, captain of the Minnie V, warned the race start could be delayed if the wind didn't pick up. The race started on time but was cut short because of the light winds.

The Minnie V, built in 1906, and her captain will be docked at the Port of Salisbury Marina for the National Folk Festival. Visitors will have an opportunity to board the Minnie V and listen to Whitelock talk about the boat, its restoration and his own experiences with skipjacks.

"All my folks were skipjack captains," he said, taking a break from his work preparing the Minnie V for the 59th annual Labor Day Skipjack Race on a hot afternoon in late August.

Skipjacks are unique to the Chesapeake Bay, established in the late 1800s when oyster beds in the deeper waters of the bay had been depleted. They were designed to oyster the shallows of the Chesapeake, and were cheaper and easier to build than similar sailing vessels of the day — pungees, bugeyes and schooners.

A Whitelock family affair

Stoney Whitelock's son, David, is also a skipjack captain. The Kathryn is his vessel, built in 1901 and second in age only to the Rebecca Ruark. Operating the Kathryn is a family affair, with his wife, Dawn, and their three children serving as crew members.

Emily Whitelock, 10 years old, is David and Dawn Whitelock's middle child. She knows boats, having practically been raised on the water.

"We have new sails," she said, taking a break from her duties aboard Kathryn as the race got started. "They're huge sails. We were using smaller ones, but we got bigger ones for this race. We need all the help we can get."

Her grandfather, Stoney, pulled up beside the Kathryn as several skipjacks were jockeying for position at the start of the race. A smaller vessel, the Messenger, came a bit too close for comfort, and poles were employed to keep the two boats apart.

Larry Keeford Linton took this video as he and a fellow waterman headed out from Saxis, Virginia to go oystering on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018.
Larry Keeford Linton video

Stoney Whitelock recalls falling in love with skipjacks as a child.

"I was in sixth grade," he said, "and our classroom was on the second floor of the school. The front wall facedTangier Sound, and it was all windows. It was also where the pencil sharpener happened to be."

He could see the skipjacks out oystering on the sound, all going in different directions.

"The boats were sailing in all different directions around the oyster rock," he said, "but the wind was only blowing in one direction."

It made him wonder.

"I sharpened my pencils to a nub that year," he said, laughing.

The Daniels family

Sharon Daniels, a passenger on Kathryn, said she attended Deal Island School with Stoney Whitelock — all 12 years, she said — and recalls his antics fondly.

"He hid in the coat closet one day, all day, and the teacher never realized he was in there," she said, laughing.

Daniels is the niece of legendary skipjack captain Art Benson Jr., who died in June 2017 at age 95. His father, Art Daniels Sr., was her grandfather.

Art Daniels Jr.'s skipjack, the City of Crisfield, won nine races under his command, most recently in 2008.

The City of Crisfield has not sailed since Daniels' death last year, said Randy Bethke of Millsboro, who also owns a place in Deal Island.

"It's on land at Scott's Cove," he said, "and in rough shape."

Bethke wasn't certain The City of Crisfield would be restored.

"It costs a lot of money to restore," he said.

"Oh, it has to be restored," said Sharon Daniels.

Happy ending

The Kathryn is a larger skipjack with 55 feet of deck; the Minnie V's deck is smaller at 45 feet. Kathryn is one of just two remaining skipjacks with the lengthwise planking, which may give them a slight edge in the water.

The other is the Rebecca Ruark, oldest in the fleet, which has won a total of 11 races under the command of Capt. Wade Murphy. Kathryn has won a single race — in 1975, under the command of Capt. John Parkinson, decades before Whitelock owner her.

It wasn't enough for either the Kathryn or the Rebecca Ruark this year. The lighter-weight Ida May ruled the day.

The Kathryn approached the second buoy — the new finish line in a shortened race — after the fourth skipjack had passed. With no chance to place, Kathryn's sails were dropped and the skipjack returned to Deal Island Marina powered by her yawl boat.

The Whitelocks' youngest child, Harvey William Whitelock, was disappointed.

"We never win," he complained as the skipjack docked.

But no one else seemed to mind. Emily, her sister Hannah and several friends jumped into the water for a quick swim. They were followed into the water by their father, Capt. David Whitelock, for a joyous finale to the morning's adventure.